Amtrak Across Country - San Diego to New York by train #AmtrakAdventure

San Diego to New York Cross Country by Amtrak Train

Booking the ticket- $277 plus.....

I booked a train ticket over a month in advance directly on the Amtrak website. My route

San Diego to Los Angeles- $19 extra for business class

Los Angeles to Chicago- $372 extra for sleeper carriage

Chicago to New York- no extra -coach

Unlike airlines there are NO baggage fees - and the sleeper included 2 evening meals 2 breakfasts and 2 lunches.  Sign up for Amtrak emails and they will inform you of any deals- but buy early.

579 Pacific Surfliner 1:35pm San Diego

The train station is beautiful- the team there are happy, helpful and proud to work for Amtrak.  I asked if I needed to line up early on thanksgiving afternoon to be sure of a window seat- the lady at the ticket counter told me the train was pretty empty and I should enjoy the bench in the station :-) She recommended I didn't bother checking in my luggage as I didn't have that much.

Santa Fe Station, San Diego

When I saw the train arrive I got into the line.  For this three hour journey I was in business class.....as you can see not much of a line

Lining up waiting to board the Pacific Surfliner

Sadly, it was raining and as a result the train was late getting in to San Diego and hence late leaving.  Everyone got a window seat. Business class got snacks with a slice of turkey (presumably for Thanksgiving) and we got a choice of a glass of wine/soda or water and all the coffee you can drink.

Snacks included in Business Class + unlimited coffee + one wine/soda/water

There were tables which were reserved for parties of four or more.  The seats seemed the same size in coach and business..

Seats in business reserved for parties of four

Business class seats- same size as coach- lots of room

The journey was beautiful and you get to see so much more from the beaches and piers to the decommissioned San Onofre Nuclear PowerPlant

Looking out to the Pacific

San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant

The negative was the rainy weather, it meant the train had to go slower than normal- although I downloaded a free app (speedmeter) which measured the speed of the train on my phone: 

Download of app "speedmeter"

As the journey went on, I learned there was an official Amtrak site that tracks the train and lets you know the speed of the train and also the live arrivals and expected actual times of the next stops - Here is the link: https://www.amtrak.com/track-your-train.html

Track your train online tool- regular riders use this

I was hoping to spend 1.5 hours in Los Angeles, but because the train was late leaving and slower, as a result of the weather, the time in LA was only 20 minutes.  The train was already boarding, so I didn't get a chance to see the LA train station or the surrounding area, as I had planned and was excited for, but I still felt it was more reliable than the plane and with out security screening, arriving at an airport in the middle of nowhere, awesome views train is a much better option.

4 Southwest Chief - Los Angeles- Chicago Train- 6pm Thursday

Los Angeles Union Station, this ws all I got to see of it

I splashed out on a sleeper car for this section of the trip- at the station I was directed to my carriage and when I got on a lovely lady told me she would be my attendant throughout the trip.  

I got to my room which was on the top floor and this was a sleeper, enough for two, but I had it just for me and it was great.

My roomette

The lovely attendant asked me what time I would like dinner, the meals are included in the price, but it is expected to tip the attendant and also not to forget to tip the servers at each meal time.  It is customary for $10 a night for the attendant, $5 for the dinner , $3 for lunch/ breakfast.

I scheduled 6:45pm for dinner, and went to the dining carriage, where you get seated next to others and this one of the few occasions where it is totally not awkward to talk with people you never met- quite a contrast to the London Underground.

Here is a photo of the menu- it was the same every day....

The menu- all included for sleeper passengers

Here is the dining car, you can see the fancy set up- it felt like a movie set.

Dining car

Dinner- note the Amtrak plate

It was interesting to meet such a wide range of people on the train, there was someone escaping LA to go on a retreat in Flagstaff, others were going to visit family over thanksgiving, and for the first time I met two Amish ladies who were a delight and explained their way of life and were bewildered by mine.

Thanksgiving Day is a low travel day, as most people are with families- but as the train got closer to Chicago (arrived the day after black friday) many more boarded the train.

The other disappointment about travelling the end of November / beginning of December is the daylight hours are so much less and that is the beauty of the train, the views.

After dinner I went to my sleeper carriage, we had just stopped at San Bernardino and shortly afterwards, there was so much snow the train had its lights on it felt brighter than any other time I assume (but am likely wrong) to scan the tracks.  The train was going much faster at 20mph than the cars, which were at a standstill-  likely being stopped and checked they had chains on their tyres.  With little to see I decided to go to sleep and wake up as soon as it was daylight.

I woke up to this:

Arizona views from the window

We got to Flagstaff station a few hours later than expected- I understand the Amtrak drivers can't do more than 8 hour shifts, so a new team had to be bussed in to relieve the crew earlier than expected and we had to wait on the track for this to happen.  Enjoying the view in the comfort of the warm train was not a problem.  Here is Flagstaff station (note the bike rack!):

Flagstaff Amtrak Train Station

We continued on from Flagstaff and I was happy to move to the viewing carriage, where there are seats facing the window- it was fantastic.

Viewing carriage

After enjoying the scenery over breakfast and drinking coffee in the viewing carriage, I decided I should use the shower- I strongly recommend bringing your own toiletries- the Amtrak had a selection no one will wish to select.  The bathroom had fresh towels and when you finished showering the protocol was to place them in an "Amtrak" red bag.

The shower had instructions easy to follow, but impossible to execute.  Step 1 said to set the temperature, then step 2 said to press the button.  So I set the temperature to medium and pressed the button and cold water came out for about 30 seconds (then you need to repress the button).   I tried again on the hottest setting and cold water came out (for 30 seconds), then I tried again and again and scolding water came out, then I moved back to medium and it was scolding, so anyhow, I never figured out the right temperature, but there was decent water pressure.  As for the water draining, you can see it go directly into the tracks below- and the other thing, there was a metal bar, which wasn't for people with disabilities it was for people who don't have the best balance when the train goes around a corner.

Select temperature first, then press for 30 seconds of decent pressure of water

After showering, which despite not figuring the temperature, felt more refreshing than normal, we arrived at Gallup, New Mexico- they said we could get out the train if we wanted.   Every opportunity we were invited to stretch our legs I took.  One passenger did the same at every stop, but was in his running gear and just ran up and down the platform until they yelled "All Aboard".  

Gallup, New Mexico (few passengers got out to stretch their legs)

We then went onward and got views like this through New Mexico

New Mexico

They had another stop at Albuquerque, New Mexico

Albuquerque, New Mexico

and not long after that we were clear of snow

New Mexico

 The following day we made it to Kansas City- I love this photo of me in front of the train, mainly because the train driver is waving.  I really wanted to have a look in her cabin, but I knew what would happen with that request.

Amtrak, Kansas City

At lunch, the people I was sitting with told me as we passed through Marceline, MO this was the hometown of Walt Disney and how he modelled Main Street in Disney Land- the locals were keen to share random facts.

Missouri

We passed through fields, more fields, passed a few junk yards, passed more power stations and wind farms and got a lot more passengers on at each stop until we eventually got into Chicago, a few hours late.
The Amish people saw me getting off in Chicago and as there was room on their luggage car, they ushered me to get on and we got taken directly to the Metropolitan lounge, which anyone with a sleeper car ticket can use for free.
If you don't have a sleeper car ticket, it is worth spending the money on the lounge for just one reason- you can leave your bags in a room and explore Chicago.  It is not like an airport lounge, but I  remember fruit, coffee, soda and pretzels (with signs saying "only to be consumed in the lounge").  You also get priority boarding for the train, and that is important if the train is sold out and you want a window seat (as in over Thanksgiving weekend).

Chicago Union Station 

Chicago Union Station

Chicago Union Station

Amtrak Holiday Tree- Chicago Union Station

The Polar Express- Chicago Union Station

Quick Visit to the City of Chicago

The train was late into Chicago as a result of the weather, so I just had a few hours in Chicago.  On speaking to Chicago people at lunch, they recommended I headed for the Magnificent Mile.

Google maps suggested the 151 bus, it allowed me to pay by Apple iPay, which cost all of $2:75 (I managed to get back on a transfer bus ticket), and it took me through Chicago allowing me to see the sites and Holiday decorations.

Bendy bus in Chicago

I headed for the Hancock tower, but went up to the bar to have the same view as the observation room and avoid the fee but meerly pay for a drink- except with the clouds- there was no view.......

Chicago

48 Lake Shore Limited 9:30pm Chicago- New York Penn

I headed back to the Metropolitan lounge and they got us ready to board the Lakeshore Limited train at 9pm. The advantage of the lounge with a coach ticket, is boarding ahead of everyone else.   The train was fully packed with extra carriages to cope with the additional holiday passengers.  Every seat was taken and I was grateful to get a window seat.  They ensured those going to New York were in back of the train and those going to Boston in the front, as the train split in Albany, with the Boston train going first.

The disappointment was the rain meant we had poor visibility.

I read for the first two hours, but the best thing was bringing a neck pillow and a blanket.  Coach on a train is quiet different to a plane, there is signficiantly more room, the seats recline more, there is a seat extender and also a footrest.  

The most important thing to remember is to bring eye shades for overnight trips in coach-  luckily I did this, as the lights on the train are extremely bright in the aisle.  Unlike a plane the train stops all night and people need to navigate with their luggage (but the train doesn't make stop announcements between 10pm- 7am).   I fell asleep at midnight and woke up at 10:30, it was no sleeper carriage, but I slept like a log.

Remember to bring BLANKET, EYE SHADES, NECK PILLOW

The 19 hour journey from Chicago had rubbish visibility as a result of the rain- so bring entertainment. I had plenty of books to read.  At some point the rain turned into snow- I got off as there was a stretch break in Syracuse. 

Syracuse, New York

After Syracuse the ticket inspections did plenty of checking where everyone was going as the train split into two at Albany.

The connection between trains was not completely sealed from the elements- there was so much snow between carriages, which made going to the buffet car interesting.  Every seat on the buffet car was taken, and the selection was not that great- but with the government subsidising Amtrak overall, it is good to spend as much as you can in the buffet car to prevent it being eliminated.

Moving between carriages, more snow gathered here than expected

When we finally got to New York Penn station of course there wasn't a platform free, so the final 10 minutes of the journey waiting for a platform felt longer than the entire trip.

I headed for the subway and jumped on the A train, where for the first time in three days I did not get a seat and of course no one spoke to me- it was back to the usual city train rules.

New York Penn Station

The trip was fantastic, but I wish I had done it during the summer with more daylight hours.  The weather was a let down, but I did get into New York Penn station only 10 minutes later than scheduled, but it was a real shame I never got to explore LA as a result of the weather.  

It would have been wonderful to have spent more time in Chicago, but all in all, it feels so amazing to have gone cross the USA by train and have seen all the different landscapes and weather- I feel so priviledged for the experience.

#AmtrakAdventure